Day #39: “Jesus Prays for Us… and for the Watching World”– John 17 Part 3 (MK)
Following up on Luke’s reflections on John 17, I thought that we could squeeze one more reflection out of this important passage. Known as the “High Priestly Prayer”, this prayer from the night of Christ’s betrayal extends throughout an entire chapter. After looking at the themes of “glory” and “prayer in the name of Jesus”, there is one more theme to examine in this passage. That is the theme of “witness.”
John 17:20-26 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
The first thing that I notice in the passage is that Jesus is praying for us. After praying for the disciples that were gathered with them, Jesus turns his attention to future disciples. He prays, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word (v.20.)” Now, we can certainly extrapolate prayers for the disciples and apply them to all Christians. That is legitimate, given their representative role. So, the things Jesus had been praying for throughout the beginning of the passage do apply to us. But here, Jesus makes a point of extending his prayer to “all those who will believe.” That includes Christians down through the ages, and it includes the church today. Isn’t it cool to know that on his last night before the cross… Jesus was thinking of you?
The second thing that I notice is what Jesus prays for. He prays for the unity of his Church, “that they may be one even as we are one (v.22.)” Now, there is a lot to be desired when we think about Church unity.* The Christian church is separated by divisions and many local congregations are stratified by sociological markers. Even our existing congregations fall short of ideal unity. But it really is a glass-half-full kind of situation. On one hand, we have a long way to go to display the kind of unity that is prayed for here. On the other hand, there are many visible displays of unity which we can celebrate. Our congregations do include people who would otherwise have very little in common. The churches in our denomination are connected in meaningful ways across our region and our country. We regularly pray for and connect with Christians doing ministry across the world. (We will hear some of those stories at our Easter Sunday breakfast.) Finally, we see regular connections that transcend denominational ties. On Good Friday we will gather with Christians from over a half-dozen churches to remember the sacrifice of Jesus. It is appropriate for us to long for a greater Christian unity, but we don’t want to miss celebrating the ways this prayer is already being answered in the course of our ongoing ministry. Given what we know about human nature, it is clearly a mark of God’s redeeming grace when we see the (limited) unity that we do have.
Third, I notice the intended result of this prayer. The unity of the Church will be something that Jesus uses for a purpose. He prays that, “they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me (v.22b.)” The love that Christians have for one another becomes part of our witness to the mission and message of Jesus.** I think that is an important consideration for this Easter season. The three services that we will hold (Good Friday, Sunrise Service, and Easter Sunday) will be some of our highest attendance events of the year. They are opportunities for visitors to hear the message of the Gospel and see God’s people gathering for worship. Good Friday, in particular, will be a display of Christian unity that transcends our denominational boundaries. Jesus prayed that our witness would cause the world to know Him.
As our season of intentional prayer draws to a close, let’s pause to pray for our friends and neighbors who are not (yet) disciples. Let’s prayerfully consider who we might invite to join with us in this season of Gospel celebration. And let’s pray that through this witness the world may know that Jesus was sent for salvation.
* Editor’s Note: I realized this morning while looking over my own post, that I had failed to mention a very obvious and important connection. The Thursday before Easter is historically called “Maundy Thursday.” The word Maundy comes from the Latin word “mandate” and refers to the New Commandments (or “mandate”) that Jesus gave to his disciples. This commandment was to love one another. It is not completely new information – the OT included ideas about love for neighbors and for others in the family of God – but it places a new emphasis on this important command. Furthermore, this prayer for unity is a natural extension of Christ’s concern for our expression of mutual love. Unity is bound up with our calling to love one another.
** There is a theological connection between Christian unity and the Trinity. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct “persons” within the one substance of God. Within God, there is both unity and distinction. In a similar way, Christians are wonderfully distinct from one another. We have different genders, ages, ethnic backgrounds, life situations, and gifts. (To name a few differences…) And yet, we are all sons of God through faith and we are all part of the one bride of Christ. So, when we are able to maintain relationships across our differences, we become mirrors of the unity and diversity that are within the Triune God. I think that this is why Jesus connects the unity of the church to the revelation of the Father sending the Son (v.22.) Just as the one God contains both a sender and one who was sent, and just as the one God includes God’s triune work of salvation (Father plans, Son accomplishes, Spirit applies redemption), so to the Church contains a diversity of people who are united in their common salvation and common purpose.